Today I want to take the discussion in a new direction, one that will most likely get me as much or more hate mail than it will positive responses. That being said, this is what I feel, and this is what I feel is right to say.

Michael Givens, Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

I like most of you was both angered and disappointed when Lynyrd Skynyrd appeared on CNN and declared that they were dissociating themselves from the Confederate Flag, I found their Facebook page and shared my displeasure with them like THOUSANDS of my fellow Southerners and Skynyrd fans did. I was quite please , when Gary Rossington posted his statement clarifying his position on the flag stating that:

“I wanted to clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag in our recent CNN interview. Myself, the past members and the present members (that are from the South), are all extremely proud of our heritage and being from the South. We know what the Dixie flag represents and its heritage; the Civil War was fought over States rights. We still utilize the Confederate (Rebel) flag on stage every night in our shows, we are and always will be a Southern American Rock band, first and foremost. We also utilize the state flag of Alabama and the American flag as well, ‘cause at the end of the day, we are all Americans. I only stated my opinion that the confederate flag, at times, was unfairly being used as a symbol by various hate groups, which is something that we don’t support the flag being used for. The Confederate flag means something more to us, Heritage not Hate”

It was good to know that so many of us spoke out and it was even better that somebody listened. Gary Rossington listened and tried to make things right, now where I come from, that’s all a man can do , or be expected to do. So why are so many of my Southern brothers in the ranks of the Sons of Confederate Veterans still raking him over the coals?

Michael Givens, Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans could never be described as a simple administrator, or a bureacrat within the ranks of the 31,000 that make up the Sons. He is an Independent film maker, he is articulate, proactive and thinks outside of the box in his duties. In short his has been an excellent commander but in the case of Lynyrd Skynyrd, specifically Gary Rossington’s statements he is wrong. Responding to Rossington’s statement he left the following comment in the comments section at the band’s website, www.lynyrdskynyrd.com stating:

“Dear Gary, Lynyrd Skynyrd, management, `et alia’,

I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. We are an organization, chartered in 1896 by veterans of the War for Southern Independence for the purpose of promoting the true history and principles of the Confederate soldiers’ cause. On behalf of our 31,000 members I write you today to express our deep sadness and concern over your present stance toward our venerable banner of the South. Your use of the flag in a manner that is up lifting and not aligned with any form of hate has been a stalwart defense of the flag’s true symbolism for many years. We appreciate and applaud your past efforts on behalf of our common ancestors.

Our biggest concern comes from your statement on the 8th of September 2012 to CNN. You disclosed, “But I think through the years, you know, people like the KKK and Skinheads and people have kind of kidnapped the dixie rebel flag from the southern tradition and the heritage of the soldiers.” Sir, our ancestors wrote the definition of that flag with their blood and when they furled the flag at the last battle they tucked their God-given liberty inside. The KKK and the Skinheads do not define our flag any more than the NAACP or any other hate group.

I am sure you do not agree with their hateful views of our flag, therefore I must ask you, who will stand up for the TRUTH, if not you and if not me? The answer is no one and without us the truth will be buried with the American Confederate flag. That is why we must not capitulate to their nancy demands.

Like many men in my organization, your music has been the soundtrack of my life. Your songs have helped define my own identity and Southernness. I have been a fan from the beginning. I was at the second to the last concert of the original band in Johnson City, Tennessee. All my best friends were at the Greenville, South Carolina concert a few days later. Then, our lives were changed forever—some much more than others. We have always been there for you. Your fans have not let you down. Do not let us down.

My fear is that you are living the song, WORKING FOR THE MCA and that Lynyrd Skynyrd has become the subject of a re-branding effort that hopes to make a kinder, gentler Lynyrd Skynyrd. I worked in the ad world for twenty years; re-branding’s not what we need. We need the honest and courageous Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Stay true to your people.

Please fell free to contact me if I may help. I wish you the very best and remain,

This was a good statement, a proper statement, and it should have stopped there, however; since making the statement he has also added :

“They still have not put it back in merchandise and the fact that they capitulated in the first place continues the acid rain of angst.”

Commander Givens has also seemingly become obsessed with a few nameless individuals in the comments (all 53 of them) section on the band’s website www.lynyrdskynyrd.com stating: “My letter to Skynyrd has brought out the loons. Y’all might want to chime in”, as well as being obsessed with the the moderators on the site.

Sir, perhaps Gary Rossington did some soul searching after the CNN interview and the backlash from the fans. The end result is that the band will once again fly the flag that has been the symbol of the band for over 40 years, and our heritage for 150 years.

You , me, or anyone else for that matter has no right to demand what kind of merchandise they sell. The free market will determine the demand. Isn’t that what our ancestors fought the war to begin with? Besides, Gary Rossington isn’t telling us what merchandise to sell.

While you have been trying to bring Lynyrd Skynyrd under the heel, a major developement has occurred in Alabama. The Herald Standard is reporting that:

“Council members in an Alabama city voted Tuesday to stop a group’s work on a new monument honoring a Confederate general who was an early leader in the Ku Klux Klan.

The Selma City Council voted 4-0 with two members abstaining to stop all work on the monument to Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest until the courts decide whether the city or a Confederate heritage group owns the cemetery property where the monument would be rebuilt.

The vote came after a group of protesters marched to City Hall.

Demonstrations by civil rights groups about 10 years ago led to the relocation of a Forrest monument from outside a city building near downtown to a section of a city cemetery honoring Confederate war dead. But Forrest’s bust was removed and apparently stolen from atop a 7-foot granite memorial earlier this year, and efforts to rebuild it have drawn protests and calls by civil rights activists not to replace it.

Detractors say Forrest traded black people like cattle, massacred black Union soldiers and joined the early Ku Klux Klan. His defenders dispute much of that and counter with stories that depict him as a protector of slave families and defender of the weak who resigned from the KKK”

I ask you this; Who is more of a threat to our heritage? A group of friends who admit they were wrong and moves forward, or a group of well organized individuals, who will never admit when they are wrong and will not be happy until they destroy everything we hold dear?

Michael Givens, Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Commander Givens, I respect you, but I would respect you a hell of a lot more if you got off your computer, stop having a teenage-style chatroom smack down with a nameless idiot and get your ass down to Alabama to confront the REAL threats to our heritage. respectfully,Clint E. LacyMember Colonel John T. Coffee Camp #1934, Osceola, Missouri

Great men like Churchill knew what honor and culture meant to Southerners.

Great men like Churchil understood the principel of honor and culture.Special thanks to Facebook friend John Stones for sharing this great quote- webmater.

“The flags of the Confederate States of America were very important and a matter of great pride to those citizens living in the Confederacy. They are also a matter of great pride for their descendants as part of their heritage and history.” Winston Churchill

Today is “tax day,” the first of which in American history was the work of — you guessed it — Dishonest Abe in 1862. It was The Great Railroad Lobbyist/Protectionist/Inflationist/Corporate Welfare Statist/Warmonger president who gave us the first “progressive” income tax.

Lincoln’s chief tax collector, David A. Wells (head of the U.S. Revenue Commission) expressed the basic theme of governmental plunder through income taxation (which was not permitted by the Constitution at the time) when he said: “Wherever you find an article, a product, a trade, a profession, or a source of income, tax it!”

A very special “shout out” and “rebel yell” to Mr. Billy Bearden for “flagging” Abe Lincoln! Old Abe probably hasn’t had a day that bad since John Wilkes Booth administered his famous headache remedy at Ford’s Theater.

Well the accusations abound that Across our Confederation is guilty of “Race-Baiting”. It reminds me of an article I read about liberals once upon a time. The just of it was that one can not win an argument against liberals because facts mean nothing. Facts mean nothing because liberalism is more than a political viewpoint, it is a religion to those who believe in it and the followers have enough faith in their “religion” to believe that if they keep repeating the lies, distorting the truth and manipulating the media enough, the world will see things how they want the world to see them.

That might work for THEM but that is not how I see the world. I see the world for how it REALLY is.

The criticism started rolling in as I published my series on the Trayvon Martin case Part I , Part II and Part III . Race-baiting was the accusation made by certain liberal South-hating blogs.

Monuments were being defaced prior to Trayvon’s death. That being said, the militants who dawn their hoodies on their head, (a spray can in one hand and a pack of “Skittles” in the other) as a sign of solidarity for their fallen martre, feel even more embolden and justified in doing so.

No thanks to anti-Southern bloggers such as Kevin Levin over at Civil War Memory who suggests that the monuments are a result of a “history of racial tension” .

Can I label men like Levin “Yankee -Baiters”?

This isn’t going away and there is no reason to hide your head in the sand and pretend it is. Call me what you want, the fact is, I really don’t care what you call me but one thing is for sure, you won’t find me wringing my hands at the matter, questioning the “history of racial injustice” as thugs continue to vandalise monuments to the Confederate veterans, distribute rap songs that call for physical harm of white children, or insinuate that if we all don’t beg for forgiveness from Trayvon that white people are going to die.-webmaster.

Are YOU mad enough yet? Call (804) 649-1861 and ask the Museum of the Confederacy WHY there will be no Confederate Flag flown at the Appomattox location! Email Linda Lipscomb, Appomattox site director llipscomb@moc.org. Send a fax to: (804) 644-7150. If you live anywhere near Richmond, stop in and ask them in person! If you are a member, cancel your membership…tell them why…and demand a REFUND!-via Southern Heritage Preservation Group.

“WHAT A SPLENDID display of driving, Mr. Montoya. No worries, you can still probably get a job driving an 18-wheeler in Pennsylvania.

I HAVE SEEN Juan Pablo Montoyas name been abbreviated as J.P.in the past. Does it now stand for jet propellent?”

It is lucky that no one was killed in this ongoing social experiment, but we should all count our blessings that “diversity” persevered. Can you imagine what might have happened if they had let the General Lee on the track during the opening ceremonies? I shudder when I think about the possible consequences.- Webmaster

By Paul Kersey

Created 02/25/12

The 54thDaytona 500 [1], the granddaddy of all NASCAR races, kicks off the 2012 calendar season on Sunday, February 26. During the last thirty years, NASCAR’s devoted fan base helped propel it to become the unquestioned king of American motor sports. Less than a decade ago, NASCAR seemed poised to challenge [2] the National Football League (NFL) [3]for sports-entertainment dominance.

NASCAR’s popularity stall has been attributed to the recession and to the oversaturation of the market. Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times has argued that imposing the safety-oriented a.k.a. boring “Car of Tomorrow” [COT] was “part of ‘a disconnect’ that opened between NASCAR and its fan base, (NASCAR grapples with a downshift in popularity, [6] By Jim Peltz, Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2011)

But few dare point out a key “disconnect” between NASCAR and its fan base: the organization’s new-found fashionable obsession with “diversity”.

Steve Sailer [9] pointed out in 2005 why NASCAR was growing in popularity with two powerful paragraphs that apparently were lost on the France family, who have headed NASCAR since 1972:

NASCAR is what social psychologist Kevin MacDonald [17] has called an “implicit community [18]”—a place where similar people gather for unconscious, but for nevertheless evidently powerful, reasons.

As much as any sport in America, NASCAR has roots tied to a specific culture: white Southerners. [19]Going to a NASCAR event, regardless of the city, was [20]like joining a non-stop rock ‘n’ roll party, complete with Confederate flags, beer, fun, and the potential of seeing cars crash going in speeds of excess of 200 miles-per-hour.

But since taking over as NASCAR CEO in the early 2000s, Brian France [21] has apparently decided that diversity is a much more important goal than keeping the long-time fans of the sport happy.

Of course, he couches this in commercial terms: “If we don’t get diversity right, this sport will not achieve what it needs to achieve from a popularity standpoint,” [NASCAR Seeks Diversity But Finds the Goings Slow [22], By Seth Livingstone, USA Today, April 27, 2007]

And of course it’s not working in commercial terms. NASCAR’s push for diversity went in overdrive right around the time its popularity peaked. [NASCAR’s diversity push is widespread [23], By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY, October 4, 2006]

In 2004, France instituted the Drive for Diversity [24] program, which had the stated goal of increasing minority and women in NASCAR (whether it be in ownership, a driver, or a crew member).

On the official site of NASCAR, the necessary qualifications for those interested in being accepted into the Drive for Diversity program is listed [25]:

Who is the program for?

Drivers applying to the Drive for Diversity Driver Development program must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Between the ages of 16 and 25 (as of October 15, 2010)

• A U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien

• A member of one of the following ethnic minorities classifications:

– African-Americans: Having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa

– Asian-Indian Americans: Having origins in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

– Asian-Pacific Americans: Origins are from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas

– Hispanics: Having Hispanic heritage from any of the Spanish-speaking areas of Latin America or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean basin.

– Native Americans: Persons who are American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut or Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part. Native Americans must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the United States.

– All females of U.S citizenship (or permanent resident alien)

White males, in other words, need not apply.

The success of this drive hasn’t been earth-shattering [26]. The current roster of NASCAR drivers continues to be lily-white and overwhelmingly male. But we know from experience that diversiticrats are not disturbed by a little thing like reality.[NASCAR’s ‘racist culture’ under fire [27] |Undeterred by claims of racism in NASCAR, black students seek to institute cultural changes, By Dustin Long, The Roanoke Times, June 14, 2008]

With a little help from its MainStream Media friends, the NAACP began to demand that the Confederate Battle Flag be banned from NASCAR events. For example:

The good ol’ boys at NASCAR [30] who still wave the Rebel flag are soon going to have to deal with the NAACP [31], which is fighting to end the display of the Confederate symbol from racing events in South Florida.

NAACP officials said they’re reaching out to racing officials to get the ensign banned from the Homestead-Miami [32] Motor Speedway, where many NASCAR events take place.

“We intend to notify NASCAR about the troubling racial discord we have here in Homestead, and we would like their support,” said Rosemary Fuller [33], a longtime member of the Miami-Dade NAACP.

Entering the 2012 season, it has materialized that NASCAR has actually banned the famous car “General Lee” of Dukes of Hazzard fame [35] from being allowed to do a few laps at a race in Phoenix because of its display of the Battle Flag:

When the Dukes of Hazzard was on TV from 1979-85 virtually every episode featured a chase scene of some sort with the show’s trademark car, the General Lee. [36] But now NASCAR has ruled the famous Dodge Charger shouldn’t be seen at any of its races.

Pro golfer Bubba Watson purchased the original General Lee at auction [37] recently, and had been scheduled to drive it on the parade lap before the March 4 Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. But NASCAR has rescinded the invite, because of the car’s roof has a replica of the Confederate flag, which some fans might consider offensive.

“The image of the Confederate flag is not something that should play an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive,” NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said in a statement today.

But as anyone who has ever attended a NASCAR event knows, Confederate flags can be seen on many cars and elsewhere in the virtual cities of RVs and campers that surround NASCAR tracks.[Is NASCAR Right to Ban the General Lee or Overreacting [38], By Tom Weir, USA TODAY, February 17, 2012]:

Former Georgia Congressman Ben Jones, who starred in the original Dukes of Hazzard television show, quickly attacked [39] NASCAR for its cowardice. See his press release here. [40]

(The filmmakers threw in a scene [42] where the Duke Boys are caught in a traffic jam in Atlanta and insulted by Atlantan’s for their flag symbol, and another [43] in which they get coal dust [44] all over them, and almost get beaten up for Being In Blackface [45] While Confederate.)

But that was Hollywood [46]. This is NASCAR. Now the Battle Flag [47]has been banned by a sport whose financial fortune was built upon white Southerners—and without whom there is no reason to suppose it will thrive.

As a symbol of opposition to the soft totalitarianism that is political correctness and the official federal and state policy of coerced diversity, the Confederate flag represents something tangible in 2012—above all to white Southerners. That’s why even the sight of it on the top of the “General Lee” at a NASCAR event must be banned, even if it insults NASCAR’s most devoted fans.

Kevin Levin a "historian" who is embraced by the mainstream for his denigration of Black Confederates.

Historian Kevin Levin has made into the very distinguished ‘The Atlantic’ magazine. The subject? Black Confederates of course. Or should I say the denigration of African-Americans contributions to the Confederacy?

The mere title is condescending. Levin writes: “More representative of the experience of “Confederate slaves” were those impressed by individual states and the Confederate government for various war-related projects such as the building of fortifications and roads. In fact, as the number of body servants dropped, the number of impressed slaves continued to rise as a result of legislation on the state and federal levels. Yet, the SCV/UDC have little to say about these men.Of course, it is not difficult to surmise as to why. The first problem is that most people are not even aware that tens of thousands of slaves were impressed during the war. It’s a measure of where we are in terms of our popular understanding of how African-Americans experienced the war. What is important to keep in mind, however, is that there is no difference between the legal statusof body servants and those who were impressed. They were all legally owned.”

The real reason “Lincolnites” like Levin must belittle the contribution of African-Americans in the Confederacy is because in order to maintain the “myth” of Honest Abe the Emancipator the war has to be about slavery. African-American Confederate Veterans can not be given the respect they deserve because if they are, people will question the real reasons for the war. Taxation, states rights, constitutionalists versus those who favored giving more power to a central government these were the reasons for the war then and they are reasons for the ongoing political fight in this country now.

Yes, African-Americans were impressed for service into the Confederacy just as they were “liberated” and given the opportunity to “fight for their freedom” by the Federal Government of the North. Just as both White and Black men were “drafted” into the service up to and through the Vietnam Conflict. Does this mean that any soldier impressed into service should not be honored for their service? Of course not.

Lincolnites like Kevin Levin deliberately , conveniently do not mention men like John Noland, Henry Wilson and John Lobb. All three of these men were from Missouri, fought with William Quantrill and were black.

In the book “Quantrill at Lawrence” author Paul R. Petersen gives a detailed account of the contribution of these Black Confederates.

Of Noland, Petersen writes that John T. Noland was entrusted by Quantrill to scout the town of Lawrence , Kansas before his August, 1863 raid on the town and that “John T. Noland was born in 1844. He was one of several black men who served under Quantrill . Noland showed himself a brave soldier by his conspicuous actions during the first battle of Independence and the battle of Lamar. At Noland’s funeral all of his pallbearers were white. He was described as “a man among men”. His gravestone in Woodlawn Cemetery in Independence {Missouri} denotes his service with Quantrill as a scout”

Noland later recounted that: ” I being a colored man I had the advantage of any white man as a spy… t was then the Col. {Quantrill} sent for me to meet him on the Little Blue River, and it was there that I received my final instruction, which was to find out the number of soldiers quartered in Lawrence, and if there were any in the vicinity”

Petersen’s book also gives great information for anyone wishing to set the record straight as to the practice of being “impressed” into service writing of Henry Wilson , Petersen notes that: “Wilson was kidnapped by Jayhawkers early in the war and was on his way to Kansas when he escaped. Wilson who lived near Independence chose to remain in Quantrill”s band rather than accept his freedom. He told those around him, ‘ I observed with my own eyes , the stealing, plundering and burning of homes of the people of this country by bands of ‘Red Legs’ even to the enticing of slaves into Kansas. I joined Quantrill when Master Wilson moved to Texas to run the blockade at Independence, carrying supplies to Quantrill and his men”.

Of Lobb, Petersen writes that: “John Lobb was also sent into Lawrence, but William Gregg remembered, “Lobb did not get back before we had started. He met us on the way and told us that Lane had left town”.

There you have it. Three men. Three Black men who fought for the Confederacy under Quantrill. All three entrusted to scout the town of Lawrence, Kansas prior to the great raid at great personal risk to themselves. All three men, who voluntarily fought for the Missouri guerrilla fighter.

It is quite the story. A story that Lincolnites like Kevin Levin do not want others to hear because it raises questions as to the real reasons of the war and exposes the myth of Lincoln being the “Great Emancipator”.